Niépce’s Catalog of Works

Catalog of Niepce heliographies, including a large part of P. Jay and S. Charles‘s to which were added heliographies and prints that we found mentioned and also the images that were found since P. Jay’s opus publication.

• According “La Lumiere“ a newspaper on march the 28th 1853, E .Chevreul left at the desk of the Sciences Academy on the 23d same month, “two etched tin plates by Nicephore Niépce that had been sent by the famous inventor “from Chalon-sur-Saone on February 2nd 1827″ and printed since by M.Lemaitre….” As a matter of fact Niépce had sent five tin plates to the parisian engraver,and was explaining : “The biggest of the five is a copy of an engraving showing the Virgin,the child Jesus and St.Joseph. The four others, that are smaller are a double copy of a portrait and a landscape.”The portrait was the Cardinal of Amboise.These five plates were sent back by Leemaitre on the 5th of march. How two of these plates ended up in Chevreul’s hands? What did happen to them?

• There are a certain number of paper prints made from Niépce’s plates after his death.They should not be confused with those made upon Niépce’s own request. One might find the list in P.Jay’s book “Niépce Genesis of an invention“ ( Niépce Genèse d’une invention).The bibliography of these prints is as follows : BSFPd ;BSFPe(117) ; BSFPf(XX and 294) ; BSFPj(59,60) ; BSFPj(60) ; Gpa(159, 159n°2, 160, 160n°5, 161) ; CBN(76f, 78b ) ; LAC(988n°2) ; catalogue n°S9 from Sotheby Gallery in London-october 1982 )

* Date confusion from Isidore.In fact it was in 1826. P. Jay noticed that the watermark includes thin rays spaced by 2.5 cm vertically ( 6 cm on the print ; a drawing of a bell appeared between two rays)-bell dimensions : H.4 x 2.5 cm.

Image: The Cardinal of Amboise.Printed on the recto with large printing types above the image : NICEPHORE NIEPCE, 1824. Handwritten note on the recto under the drawing by Chevrier : “First heliographic result obtained in 1824 by J.Nicephore Niépce. Print from the original plate belonging to M.Jules Chevrier of Chalon-sur-saone. Donated to the directorate of the National Arts and Trades Museum”, Chalon-sur-Saone march 25th 1881.Signed J. Chevrier.
Dimensions: Plate mark 17,4×13,9 cm
Location: Coll. CNAM en 1989
Origin: Donation J. Chevrier
Bibliography: DAF (4)

A National Heritage Site preserved by the Photography School Spéos, labelled "Maisons des illustres" by the French Ministry of Culture, with the sponsorship of the Académie des sciences & de l'Académie des beaux-arts